Blackhawks at Jets
The Chicago Blackhawks are just 3-5-2 in the first 10 games since Jeremy Colliton took over for Joel Quenneville as coach and they have dropped three of the past four. Chicago heads to Winnipeg on Thursday to take on the Jets, one of the top offenses in the league, and Colliton recognizes his team has to play better defense after giving up eight goals in a blowout loss at home to Vegas on Tuesday.
“If you don’t defend hard enough, then you don’t give yourself a chance to win,” Colliton told reporters after Tuesday’s game, in which the Blackhawks allowed three goals in each of the opening two periods of an 8-3 loss. Winnipeg continued its frustrating trend Tuesday of falling apart in the third period of games, blowing a one-goal lead in a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh. “Gave up a tight one, got a bad break on one and it’s in the back of the net,” Jets coach Paul Maurice told the media after Winnipeg dropped to 7-3-2 when leading after two periods. Forward Patrik Laine, who scored 11 goals in four games last week, was held scoreless for the first time since Nov. 16.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (9-11-5): Center Dylan Strome - acquired with forward Brendan Perlini on Sunday from Arizona - finished with a goal and an assist in his Chicago debut. Gustav Forsling scored his first goal of the season Tuesday while fellow defenseman Henri Jokiharju was inactive and did not practice Wednesday due to illness. Chicago has been outscored 11-1 in the first period during its past four games, and is 28th in the league in both goals allowed per game (3.56) and shots allowed per contest (33.5).
ABOUT THE JETS (13-8-2): Center Mark Scheifele scored twice Tuesday and forward Brandon Tanev added his third goal in the past four games, but again the Jets could not hold the early advantage. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has surrendered seven goals in losing his past two starts, five of the tallies coming in the final period. Forward Blake Wheeler recorded two assists against Pittsburgh and began Wednesday third in the NHL with 25.
OVERTIME
1. Laine is one goal away from becoming the fourth-youngest player in NHL history (20 years, 224 days old on Thursday) to reach 100 career goals.
2. The Blackhawks entered Wednesday last in the NHL on the power play (12.3 percent).
3. Chicago won the season series 3-2 last season, holding the Jets to 14 goals in five games.